Alone in His Prison
by MiniMooseTheSecond
Summary: Shadow Link has been lonely his entire life. What will happen when he finally meets someone from the outside? Link X Dark Link
1. not just a reflection

Shadow sat under the sharp tree that stuck out of the marsh that was his home. It seemed to go on forever, this ankle deep water, this mist. The two buildings had locked doors and he thought he would never escape his prison.

He'd tried. Some days he would walk for hours straight into the mist, and he never got anywhere. Somehow, he'd always end up under his dead crooked tree. He felt cursed. Cursed to stay in this prison until he died. If he died.

Shadow stared at the water, like he often did, when suddenly he heard a door open. He turned quickly and saw a man run into the room, followed by a floating blue thing. Shadow ran behind the tree and watched him run into the room, looking around.

He looked a lot like him. His hair was styled the same, and he wore similar clothes. But he was different too. His hair was a light blond color, and his skin was clear and pale. His eyes were a light shade of blue, contrasting his own glowing red eyes.

And his clothes were green. He turned around and swung his sword at Shadow, who lunged back and avoided the blow by an inch. He glared at him with hatred in his eyes, and his blue thing was jumping up and down around him shouting "Conquer yourself!!!!" over and over.

Shadow looked hopefully at the door, unlocked by this stranger who looked like him.

"You're not getting away from me!!!" He shouted and threw another hit at him. He really was beautiful, if not rather scary in his anger. Shadow hesitantly drew his weapons.

"You can beat him, Link! He's only a copy of you!" His blue thing cried. _What a nice name,_ Shadow thought. He threw a few swings at Link, hoping they would miss. They didn't.

Link was surprised that Shadow actually hit him, but wasn't beat that easily. He slashed his sword at him a couple of time. Shadow did a back flip and ran around to his back and landed a large gash in Link's back. Link fell over, coughing and panting. His blue thing turned a bright red and flew down and started to attack Shadow. He swat it out of the air and kneeled over by Link.

Link wasn't totally knocked out. He coughed and attempted to stand up. How had he been beaten so easily? Ganondorf had outdone himself this time, really. An evil clone who was better at fighting… by far, than he was. He attempted to spit at Shadow, and passed out.

Shadow thought Link was beautiful. And it wasn't because he looked like him. Something was different. He was a different person. It was different than seeing his reflection in the water. Better. Link was a real person who he could talk to, touch, hold. He wouldn't have to make up responses for him to say, he wouldn't touch water when he held his face. It would be so much better.

He couldn't let him leave. Then he remembered about earlier, and looked at the door, light in his eyes. He ran over and tried the door. Locked. How did Link get in here? There was obviously a world beyond this lonely mist if someone had come from outside of it. Excitement tingled in his bones as he dashed over to the sleeping Link, and caressed his soft pale check. At least now he had someone to live in this prison with.


	2. DEFINITELY not a reflection

Link woke with a start. His back hurt, his head was throbbing; he was generally aching all over. But of course, that didn't stop him from jumping up and looking around. He was still very dazed, very confused, and a bit dizzy. He grabbed for his sword, finding empty air, and began to panic. He spiraled around, looking for his sword, wondering what the hell was going on. Where was he? What was this cold mist? Where has his sword gone? Why was he hurting so much? He whirled around several times before he caught sight of Shadow Link, who was sitting by the crooked dead tree, watching him with large red eyes.

"Where's my sword?!" Link stumbled over to Shadow and tried to look menacing, shouting in his ear and staggering into the tree. Shadow merely stared at him.

"Where's Navi?!?" Link shouted, his voice breaking as he panicked.

"If you move around too much, your wounds will open again, and you'll die," Shadow said calmly. He continued to watch Link run around in panic, still totally confused. "Please don't move too much. If you die, I'll be alone again." Link stopped at this and stared at Shadow for a moment.

"Who… Who are you really?" Link nearly whispered. Shadow continued to stare at him. He was amazing, really. Another human. Someone to touch and talk to you. He wasn't very talkative, but more so than his reflection had been. Shadow smiled.

"If by 'Navi' you mean that blue thing, I put it in here," Shadow tossed Link a bottle, inside was a tired out glowing blue ball. Link sighed with relief. He needed her. He set her down, not wanting to deal with talking to his guide just then.

"I can't give you back your sword. You might try to kill me again," Shadow stated simply. Link glared at him, even though it was true and he knew it. But he sat down in the puddle of a room.

"Who are you? You never answered me."

"I am… Me? …I'm…." Shadow thought about it. He'd never had a name. He was just… him. He never really needed a name before. "I don't have a name," Shadow said, a bit sadly.

"What?" Link stared at Shadow, assessing him. "I'll give you a name, then. You look like me, and you're shadier looking… and Navi called you this. Dark Link. That's your name."

"That sounds evil." Shadow replied.

"It fits fine, then."

"I'm not evil."

"Then why are you here? You have to be a challenge set for me by Ganondorf."

"Never heard of him. I've never met anyone. You're the first person I've ever seen. I'm not evil, I'm not out to get anyone, and I don't know any Ganondorf. If you keep moving around like that, you'll die," Shadow said simply. Link quit pacing and sat down.

"Soooo… what's the other side of those doors look like?" asked Shadow. Link stared at him.

"What?"

"Obviously you came from outside those doors. What's it like? Is it the same as in here? Are there other people beside you and your… thing?" He gestured toward Navi.

"Haven't you ever tried to leave?" Link asked.

"The door is locked. If I had been able to leave, I would have by now. I hate this place." Link looked around at the lonely tree and mist floating over the ground. It seemed lonely enough. He wondered why Ganon would create someone without telling them anything. Just make him and toss him in the room, assuming he'd know what to do.

"It certainly has that lonely factor," Link replied. It was disgusting that Ganondorf could so easily throw someone in this depressing place to await his (according to Link) death.

"When you get better and can leave, you should take me with you!" Shadow exclaimed.

"What?"

"Just take me out of here! You can take me out of here, and I can go somewhere! Somewhere with people and light… and… whatever else is out there!"

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Well, I just can't drag you around until I finish the temple. It's a really difficult place to navigate, here…"

"But, I need you," Shadow looked down, picking at his fingernails. The words echoed in his head… He needed him… So badly….


End file.
